Let me start by making a confession. I have never watched a B or C grade Hindi movie. So obviously I had little interest in watching this series and I definitely did not have any feeling of nostalgia while watching it. So this review is completely devoid of any sort of bias.
Concept
The time period of the early 90s to early 2000s was the era before the arrival of the multiplex. The single screen theatres were a thing and in those theatres were screened movies that were called B grade cinema or C grade cinema (depending upon how you remember it). This series is a documentary that takes us behind the scenes into the world of this cinema. Told from the perspective of four retired movie makers of this genre (J. Neelam, Vinod Talwar, Dilip Gulati, Kishan Shah)
What works
The series talks about the world of this low budget cinema but at no point of time does it feel like a drab documentary. The credit for this goes not only to those who conceptualized this series but also to the 4 main points of focus of this series. The four film makers each have such distinct personalities that it is equivalent to watching 4 movies in one shot. While Vinod Talwar comes across as the one who wanted to create the best movie in the least budget, Dilip Gulati presents a mix of flamboyance and creativity in his mannerisms. J. Neelam was my least favorite as she looked more like a forced feminist but my favourite was the self depreciating, forever high Kishan Shah.
The way the series opens up the world of this cinema along with its peak phase and its eventual demise is spell binding. The narration of personal experiences by the likes of Raza Murad, Kiran Kumar, Mukesh Rishi and others is completely raw and uncensored. Another great aspect is that the series not only focuses on the personal POVs of these big stars but also of technicians. Everything is presented as it was. Their jubilations, their fears and even their regrets are unfiltered.
The story of Sapna Sapoo and the tales of hardships faced by the 4 directors after the industry closed down tugs at the heart but not all is white in their stories. While we get to see these masters of their craft display their cinematic skills on a shoe string budget, we also see the dark, sleazy and murky aspect of bits (sex scenes added in final censored product illegally to draw in viewers). This honesty is what makes this series endearing as it is an ode to this cinema and not an attempt to white wash its problems.
What does not work
1. Arjun Kapoor – they had to ruin an entertaining series by ending it with this charisma vacuum. The round table discussion with Lord Arjun is dull, boring and deflated.
The series also suffers from a lack of counterview about this movie industry. Pahlaj Nihlani does talk a bit about its bad effects but that is like a sprinkle of a salt into an ocean. This movie industry was not just a sexcapade for the lower class but it also can be attributed to the rampant objectification of women in our society but the series barely touches upon that. Although the way the 4 directors talk about ra*e scenes and the importance of “glamour” is slightly disturbing. It must also be stated that they also call out the hypocrisy of big movie makers on the same issue in a very subtle but effective manner.
Kanti Shah was the biggest disappointment of the show. Not only was he given very less screen space, he also came across as an arrogant person who is too full of himself. His brother was extremely down to earth compared to him. So in a way, it was better that he was not featured prominently.
Final Verdict
Cinema marte dam tak is another gem of a presentation from the quirky Vasan Bala. It is a must watch for anyone having even a sliver of interest in this lost chapter of Indian cinema. Watch it for there cannot be a better documentary on this, in fact there might not be another one at all.
